Tiberium
Tiberium (referred to as Ichor by the Scrin) is a mysterious crystalline material that arrived on Earth, in GDI's Universe, in 1995. Characterisitics Tiberium leeches metals and other heavy minerals out of the soil, concentrating them in crystals which can be easily collected by specialized vehicles (Harvesters) and processed (in a specially designed Tiberium refinery) into easy to use resources. As such, it is an amazing opportunity for any economy. Harvesters (large, heavily armoured vehicles with specialised equipment) collect the crystal by sweeping it up from the ground. The crystal's growth speed and amounts of materials it contains depends on variables such as soil conditions, moisture, yearly-average temperature, and local weather. It also has a deadly effect on the environment and all carbon-based life. Between 1995 and c.a. 2034, in GDI's universe, it covered much of the planet, transforming and adapting flora and fauna to its alien nature. Spores and gases emitted by Tiberium-mutated plant life has led to the danger of Earth becoming uninhabitable for humans, as the concentration of Tiberium pollutants in the air reached critical levels. Even as GDI was able to initiate reclamation efforts which seem to have led to Tiberium's evolution, the crystal did not lose its hostile qualities, becoming the perfect assimilator. Many theories exist on what Tiberium really is. Some believed that Tiberium itself is a lifeform rather than a mineral. This hypothesis seems to be based on early forms of Tiberium, which originally occurred as seemingly organic, plant-like pods. One fanciful hypothesis is that Tiberium possesses consciousness. According to this idea, the crystal contains a quantum crystalline brain that grows more intelligent as it grows and grows. However, this has yet to be proven. Tiberium can spread almost anywhere, with the rate of spread being influenced by soil density and ambient temperature. Only the polar caps show low levels of Tiberium infestation. Tiberium spreads through a variety of methods, depending on the local environment. No matter how small, an isolated patch of Tiberium can spread to cover acres. The process is not entirely understood, but it is believed that a patch of Tiberium will release underground shoots in every direction, which will then grow into Tiberium proper. In this way, the amount of Tiberium in an area will increase exponentially. Tiberium patches can be completely de-'forested' temporarily, but will grow back even if the Tiberium is completely removed, due to its underground "roots", as well as smaller crystals, that will remain in the soil and become clusters for further crystaline growth. As such, the ground from which Tiberium grows sounds like shattered glass when walked on. A more disturbing method of Tiberium growth is witnessed when the area Tiberium is in has any sort of foliage, such as trees or bushes. Through an unexplained mutagenic process, Tiberium alters these trees into "Blossom Trees" in as little as twelve days.These "trees" are fleshy stalks with a large bulb at the top. The bulb regularly contracts and relaxes, releasing microscopic Tiberium crystals and gases into the atmosphere. As long as there is a Blossom Tree in an area, Tiberium will constantly regrow around the tree. An alternative method is seemingly used by Tiberium Vinifera, the highly combustible blue-coloured Tiberium variant. If a large enough patch of Vinifera grows to maturity, the crystals will meld together into a massive blue crystal, roughly 10 meters high. These large Vinifera masses act similarly to Blossom Trees (it is unknown how), but at a much slower pace. Tiberium in Hellcat Squadran's Universe For unknown reasons, most Tiberium that was brought to the Hellcat Squadran Universe died out. The theories of why this is vary. One now-obsolete theory is that travel through Rift Storms destabilize Tiberium, making it incapable of spreading and killing it off. This theory was disproven both by the discovery of Tiberium on High Charity and the arrival of the Scrin, which are supposedly Tiberium-based. Later, however, after the Shadow and Consrtium Wars, several abandoned worlds were successfully seeded with Tiberium by the Scrin. Category:Materials